Connecticut beaches open and ready for business in wake of Sandy, Irene

Ebony Walmsley

Published 12:00 am, Saturday, June 1, 2013

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Storm Irene took out the West Beach boardwalk that was along the beach at Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison. It will be rebuilt, but behind the dunes, as this part of the remaining West Beach boardwalk is, where Alan Useforge of Middletown and Roberta Sharpe of Thomaston are walking. Mara Lavitt/New Haven Register <a href="mailto:mlavitt@newhavenregister.com">mlavitt@newhavenregister.com</a>5/31/13 less

Storm Irene took out the West Beach boardwalk that was along the beach at Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison. It will be rebuilt, but behind the dunes, as this part of the remaining West Beach boardwalk is, ... more

Connecticut beaches open and ready for business in wake of Sandy, Irene

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After being struck by Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Sandy, both Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison and Silver Sands State Park in Milford are ready for another summer season.

The timing is appropriate as the region deals with its first heat wave of the season. Thousands of residents flock to state parks up and down the Connecticut coast each summer.

Hammonasset opened for weekends in April. Park Manager Henry Alves said storm damage to the park was restored well before the opening.

"I credit a lot of that work to the staff and the Friends of Hammonasset. They were instrumental in opening on time," Alves said.

Silver Sands was not as fortunate as Hammonasset in avoiding storm damage.

Debris and construction littered the once pristine beach, and boarded-up structures have replaced the grand beach homes as a result of Sandy.

Milford resident Steve Hudak said Friday the biggest surprise for him was seeing the beach's marsh area cleaned up. After the storm, couches and refrigerators were strewn across the area.

Mayor Benjamin G. Blake said Silver Sands State Park was one of the areas most devastated by the storm.

"The fronts of the houses were ripped off like dollhouses from the storm surge," he said.

In addition, Blake said the park sustained flooding and some erosion.

Lifeguard stands and piers have been repaired or replaced and, within the next two weeks, construction on the boardwalk should be finished, he said. Several sections of the boardwalk were destroyed during Sandy.

However, Blake said all of public beaches in Milford were open for Memorial Day weekend and saw many visitors.

Alves said Hammonasset park was very fortunate it sustained only minor damage during Sandy. About 80 percent of the park was underwater during that storm, he said.

Some of the damage included debris and flooding of the camp store.

"We're lucky we didn't lose any of our buildings with this one," Alves said.

During Irene, two bathrooms and a concession stand in West Beach were destroyed.

Alves said the structures now will be located behind sand dunes as protection from inclement weather.

Leftover debris from storm cleanup can be seen in the parking lot at Hammonasset. Alves said the park has 7,000 cubic yards of left-over debris.

The park didn't use much outside funding for cleanup, rather it was completed mostly through volunteer work and park employees. Alves said some funding was provided by the federal government.